Aoibhin Dunne, a Laidlaw Women in Leadership Trailblazer at Trinity College Dublin, on Championing Female Entrepreneurs.
Tell us about yourself and what inspired your pursuit of the Laidlaw Women in Leadership Trailblazers scholarship.
My name is Aoibhin Dunne and I am nineteen years old. I grew up in Clondalkin, a working-class area in the suburbs of Dublin, with my mum and my older sister. Although going into third-level education is not a given for everyone in Clondalkin, I always had aspirations of attending college. I worked extremely hard to get my place in Trinity College and I was also privileged enough to be aided by the HEAR scheme, which helps people whose economic or social backgrounds are underrepresented in higher education.
I remember sitting in Goldsmith Hall on my first ever day there, as the lecturer went through the scholarships available to students on the HEAR scheme. The Laidlaw Women in Business [Leadership] scholarship really resonated with me. I have had a passion for business since I was a youngster, selling arts and crafts in my front garden and taking a particular interest in it in school. I also am passionate about the representation of women in the field. I remember being in secondary school and reading that as of 2019, only 7.4% of chairpersons in Ireland were female. While this really disappointed me, it also fueled my passion to make an impact on the world of business in Ireland.
The Laidlaw scholarship advocated for the same things I was passionate about and gave me a platform to share my thoughts with others. I admired that the scholarship truly believed in women from my background and this is why I applied.
What is the biggest life challenge you have overcome and what did you learn from it?
The biggest challenge I’ve had to face is learning to listen to my body. I have always found being unoccupied to be an extremely difficult task, which was heightened during COVID-19 when there was so little to do. I found myself packing my day with tasks and activities and even when I was idle I spent my time worrying about how I wasn’t being productive. I found after a while that this was really counterproductive as I was constantly reaching burnout.
What I learned from this is that it is important to take care of ourselves. While being productive and achieving our goals is something to strive for, it is impossible to do unless we look after our bodies and minds.
What is the most useful/impactful piece of advice you have been given in your life?
‘No rain, no flowers.’
It is crucial to remember that the finer things in life can only be experienced through hardship. In the same way, the flowers only grow when the rain dampens the soil. This quote resonates with me so much that I have it tattooed on my arm.
Attending the ELEVATE event with other members of the Laidlaw network in London’s Linkedin HQ.
Conversely, what is the WORST piece of advice you have been given?
‘It’ll all be worth it in the end.’
Sometimes the destination does not make the journey worthwhile
What are your top 3 tips that will help someone become a better leader?
Remember to never stop learning
Surround yourself with people you admire
Be yourself!
Which particular leaders inspire you the most and why?
Instead of one leader in particular, I will say that I am inspired by people who are unapologetically themselves and people who show grace and empathy towards others.
Briefly describe a scene from the future you are striving to create.
I imagine a world where women’s representation in the field of business is equal to those of their male counterparts. A world where this equality isn’t a goal that we celebrate but instead something that is the norm. I imagine a world where people use their privileges and skills to make the world a better place for other people, animals and the environment. I imagine a world where I find work that I am passionate about and work that can impact the lives of others.
What does it mean for you to be a Laidlaw Scholar?
For me, being a Laidlaw scholar means everything. Laidlaw highlights the attributes that are most underrepresented in third-level education. Laidlaw had allowed me to connect with other powerful and resilient women. Laidlaw has made college more accessible for me, coming from a working-class background. Laidlaw has given me a place to build my career in business. Laidlaw has given me the confidence to believe in myself and my goals.
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